WESTLAKE, Ohio (WJW) – Malone Matthews couldn’t wait for his first chance to hang out with his new baby brother. But little did he know that he’d be the first to welcome baby Rushane into the world.
“After delivering a baby, how much pressure can you put on an 8-year-old?” joked his dad, Malachi Brown.
Malone’s mother, Peilar Matthews, said she went to bed on January 27 experiencing some discomfort, but thought it was just a false alarm. “I thought it was just Braxton Hicks [contractions],” she said, referring to the abdominal tightening that comes and goes during pregnancy. “I didn’t realize I was in active labor, so I went to sleep.”
The next morning, it was clear that this was no false alarm. “When I got up at 5, that’s when they started coming back to back,” Matthews explained.
The only person home with her at the time was 8-year-old Malone. She told her son to call 911, which he did. “I called the ambulance, then I rushed upstairs to get the towels,” Malone said.
But before an ambulance could arrive, Malone knew he had to help his mother deliver the newest member of their family. In fact, the little boy, who loves playing football, made the play of his life. “She was, like, pushing, and I, like, catch—like not catch the baby, but—yeah, catch the baby,” he explained.
EMS arrived shortly after the birth, rushing mom and baby to a nearby hospital. “A lot of kids would have panicked under pressure,” said Malone’s dad. “For him to be able to go get towels, call 911, call the ambulance, and not panic so much—I’m very proud of him.”
Malone’s dad said he previously encouraged his son to think about becoming a doctor one day—and this is quite the resume-builder for an 8-year-old premed. “I’m just happy Malone stood up and did the right thing. I know he could do it again if he had to, but he probably doesn’t want to,” Brown said. “But I know that he can.”
Malone said that he’s also proud of himself. “Because I did it and the doctors didn’t, saved my mom some money,” he said.